Syria: Infighting Intensifies among ISIL-Affiliated Groups in Raqqa

syriatrMay 23, 2016

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At least 70 terrorists were killed and many more were wounded in clashes among the ISIL-affiliated terrorist brigades in the capital of self-proclaimed Caliphate, Kurdish sources said Sunday.

“Escalation of clashes between Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Brigade and al-Kazzemi Brigade killed at least 70 militants in Raqqa city,” the sources said, adding, “Al-Kazzemi is one of the notorious commanders of the ISIL group.”

“Most of the killed terrorists in the infighting were non-Syrian,” the sources went on to say.

One of the senior tribal leaders in Eastern Syria disclosed on Saturday that the ISIL security forces and senior leaders seize civilians’ identity documents in Raqqa to use them for leaving Syria.

“The ISIL forces, under different pretexts, order the civilians in Raqqa to deliver their identity documents to the groups’ officials and tell them that the Hasaba (the ISIL monitoring system) will call them later to give their identity cards back,” Sheikh Mohammad al-Daham said, adding, “But this is a big lie and Hasaba gives the documents to the senior officials of the terrorist group to use them while leaving Syria to find a safer place in other countries.”

“A large number of the ISIL officials and commander have sold their expensive cars and trying to issue fake passport to flee Raqqa and find shelter in Turkey or Iraq,” al-Daham said.

“The ISIL forces are aware that al-Tanf border crossing to Jordan and Iraq will be closed in the coming weeks as a results of the pro-government forces’ advances against the terrorists and only a small group of the ISIL will remain in Central deserts of Syria,” he went on to say.

Also on Saturday, reports said that the Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) were preparing to launch a large-scale operations to end the ISIL terrorists’ rule over the Northeastern province of Raqqa.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces that are mainly comprised of Kurdish fighters are ready to storm the ISIL terrorists’ positions in the capital of self-proclaimed Caliphate,” the sources said.

“In the meantime, the US warplanes dropped leaflets over the city of Raqqa on Thursday and demanded civilians to leave the city as soon as possible,” they added.